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| Washington Street, Nicodemus, Kansas, 1885 |
Click here for Author page overview, Gunmen Have No Sabbath: Exodusters Saga ~ Nicodemus, Kansas 1887 Historical fiction of a true town and people. eBook
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Author
Interview: Gunmen
Have No Sabbath: Exodusters Saga by
Marlene Banks, © 2012 ~ eBook released May 11, 2014
Welcome
to Lane Hill House, Marlene, thank you for your interview! For new
readers, would you give us a little information about yourself?
My
name is Marlene Banks. I live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and am on
an endless journey with Jesus The Christ. I am actually a writer of
various genres but current known for my historical romance novels. I
have always loved writing but entered the professional arena much
later than most because I never believed I could have a future in
writing. My recent career path has been undoubtedly guided by God and
I can’t tell you how it has amazed me! I am certain God has
purposed each advance and obstacle I have experienced therefore this
is His call all the way. So here I am, a baby boomer with a passion
and a mission that are tied to my strong faith, Kingdom service
mentality, and a divine destiny. Whew! That’s a seriously
unpredictable cocktail and I get to write it all out.
Are
you doing on-air programs; if so, where? I
loved your discussions with Vanessa Riley. I recognized hearing her
voice; so soothing to me.
I
will be interviewed by Tiffani Knowles on NEWD Radio’s, The Naked
Truth show, August 1st,
Check my website and social media pages for details on that and any
future activities.
Is
there a particular genre you enjoy reading/writing and why is it your
favorite?
I
enjoy reading and writing many genres for different reasons according
to my mood, my needs, or what someone has recommended to me. I often
read according to what I’m writing at the time or about to write in
lieu of research or as an exercise to tighten up in a particular
genre. I also read quite a bit of nonfiction Christian books for
spiritual growth. I love to read a good suspense or murder mystery. I
also like long historical epic, drag-through-centuries kind of
novels. They don’t write many of those anymore. People have much
shorter attention spans in the 21st century. They don’t like stories that long, I’m told, but I do.
I’m a Ken Follett fan for instance. I think he’s pretty popular.
I grew up reading James A. Michener, Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens
so my attention span for reading is better tuned.
When
it comes to writing I like history and have a special fondness for
unearthing seldom mentioned facts and events to incorporate them into
my novels. Yet I equally enjoy writing humorous contemporary novels
or the biblical remakes as I call the stories patterned from a
particular Bible account. I enjoy writing a good murder mystery too.
I would say the one common thread I keep in practically all my
writing regardless to genre is romance. No matter what else is going
on there has to be at least a little falling in love somewhere about.
I wrote a murder mystery series (which has never been published but I
think soon will be) where in the first novel the romance almost took
the plot over. I had to pull it back. Since it was going to be a
series I knew I could do more with that relationship in future
stories. The murder had to be center stage but that romance is a
serious backstage subplot. So to answer the question what I enjoy
writing about most—it would be romance but in various settings not
just plain ole romance. I want it paired with something else
engaging. I’m a romantic at heart and maturing into my baby boomer
years has not dulled my appreciation of the sweet emotional high, and
allure of falling in love.
Can
you tell us two or three things that most readers don’t know about
you?
It
is my goal to finish an epic novel I started working on years ago
which will be the pinnacle piece in my list of novels, but not
necessarily the end of my fiction writing career. It will be the
culmination of most of what I learn since seriously considering
writing for a career. I learned a lot because I was extremely rough
around the fiction writing edges when I jumped into this arena. God
has been good to me putting people in my life that taught and helped
me, guided and accepted my work. I am still learning, I hope, and
getting better and am thankful for it.
Would
you believe I once thought seriously about becoming a licensed
mortician?
What
five things do you enjoy the most?
Earl
Grey Tea (good Earl Grey with lots of Bergamot because not all EG teas
are equal)
Dogs:
Collies and Rottweiler’s
Reading
a good book
Good
food
Good
conversation, that make me laugh. I love to laugh.
A
good man (couldn’t leave that one out…smile)
Other
than Jesus, if you could meet one person to talk with today, who
would you choose?
This
is a hard one. There are a lot of people I can think of and narrowing
it down to one is difficult. But if pressed I think it might be my
great grandmother Singleton. They always said I looked so much like
her and acted like her too. I never saw her or met her. She died when
I was very young, like before I started kindergarten. She lived in
South Carolina. If I did see her at all I must have been an infant
and don’t remember. But growing up I remember people constantly
telling me I looked and acted like her in mannerisms. I remember for
some reason hearing about when she died and thinking I never got to
see her. I was just a kid but I thought that. So I would like to talk
to her. They said she was an amazing woman and I would like to see
for myself. For some reason I never saw a picture of her either, they
always said, there are none.
What
is your favorite Bible story or Book of the Bible? Do you have a life
Scripture verse?
I
don’t have one favorite Bible story. So many of them minister to
me. As for a life scripture, the one that has stuck to my spirit in
recent years is…
Matthew
7:13-14, Enter ye in
at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it. (KJV)
How
do you choose the names of your characters? Are some reminiscent of
people you know, or who do you pattern them after?
I
just pick names randomly. I sometimes chose names that have the sound
of the characters personality. Other times I just pick a name I have
never used before. It can be tricky not to reuse a name over and over
when you write a lot. I intentionally use popular names during that
era of historical novels. Names habitually trend in and out and can
be regional as well.
If
you weren’t an author, what work might you choose to be doing that
would be fulfilling for you and others?
Since
I am convince I was designed by God to be a writer there is
none.
Nothing I did prior to writing was ever a fit although I did things
well as far as the world was concerned. I could do a job well even if
I hated it. And most of my jobs were just that, jobs to make a
living. BUT, I’m old school in my work ethic and for me that still
meant I did my best and did it with a smile and a good attitude. I
was pleasant, responsible, reliable and hardworking in nursing or
whatever job I was doing. But until I was writing full time nothing
felt like I was doing what I was created to do. Writing fit. It’s
what God intended for me all along. Everything about me added up to
doing what I am doing now. The other possibility which is probably my
next leg of Kingdom service is teaching. That would/will be
fulfilling.
Are you researching for a new book?
Yes,
I am, for two new novels actually but can’t tell you yet what they
will be about. They are very good topics, I’ll say that much.
Also
I am currently working on a devotional. This is a totally new kind of
writing venture for me. I never thought I would write a devotional
but am being spirit led—so I follow.
In
July the first of my Bea
Happy Romance series, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
is to be released. It’s a contemporary romance with a sassy
humorous edge. Very different from my previous four novels. HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY
is a fun read for the summer.
Please
tell us about the featured novel and how you came to write it. Have
you visited Nicodemus, Kansas? It would be interesting to go through
the town records and talk with people about their ancestry. Do
you have a favorite part of the book?
Gunmen Have No
Sabbath is a pioneer/western era
novel involving four men who live by their guns and their mission in
coming to Nicodemus, Kansas. Some years ago I had some vague
knowledge about a black town called Nicodemus but I ran across an
interesting article about this place when I was researching
information about Greenwood District for Son
of a Preacherman. I was curious to
learn more and looked for details. When I learned Nicodemus still
existed I was hooked. The spirit kicked in, the story came to life
and before Preacherman was finished Gunmen’s labor pains hit and I
began to give birth.
I have yet to get there
but visiting Nicodemus, Kansas is certainly on the top part of my
bucket list.
Could you please give us the first page?
About Nicodemus, Kansas
This
story revolves around a town named Nicodemus which is an actual
location in Kansas; the last surviving town that was populated and
governed by pioneering African Americans. It is a little known piece
of historical Americana which started in the late 1870s. The wave of
former slaves settling in Kansas produced approximately six such
towns in that state alone on the heels of the South’s Civil War
Reconstruction. Only Nicodemus has endured into the 21st century.
Subsequent to the withdrawal of Federal troops in the south, Jim Crow
laws gained strength and succeeded to take root in its political and
social makeup. Already impoverished freedmen and women became
increasingly frustrated. Land grants were being given by the Federal
government to settle and plant trees in the plains of the Midwest.
The genesis of Nicodemus was the vision of a Caucasian Indiana land
developer, W.R. Hill, who along with his African American partner,
Reverend W.H. Smith, founded the Nicodemus Town Company in 1877.
Other founding officials were Bery Carr and Reverend Simon P.
Roundtree.
"I am anxious to reach your state
...because of the sacredness of her soil washed by the blood of
humanitarians for the cause of freedom."
S.L. Johnson, black Louisianan in a letter to Kansas Governor John St
John, 1879
Hailed as the “Promised Land for coloreds”, and known for being an abolitionist stronghold during the War Between the States, Kansas seemed perfect for weary Negroes craving true citizenship and opportunity to achieve American freedoms. The exodus from the south (primarily but not exclusively Kentucky and Tennessee) brought twenty thousand settlers to the state of Kansas by mid 1880s. The name Exodusters was given to these westward pioneers departing the harsh governance of the south to homestead Kansas. This term referred to the Old Testament biblical account in the book of Exodus where the enslaved Hebrews left Egypt in mass to the Promised Land.
1
Nicodemus, Kansas 1887
Some people thought he was touched in the head
but he didn’t much care about what folks thought or proving them
wrong. Others saw him as pure evil and that didn’t bother him
either. Mostly when people found out who he was they stayed clear of
him. That was just fine and often a source of amusement. He couldn’t
afford to worry about what folks thought or why because he wouldn’t
be around long enough for it to matter.
Onlookers stared at the man and his horse
as both distinctly seized their attention and together they made a
remarkable spectacle. In this small Kansas town it was unusual to see
such a strikingly handsome man wearing an expensive white shirt and
black trousers under a long black overcoat. His fancy gun belt
trimmed in silver pulled your eyes to his pearl handle six shooter
looming on his hip. Even more out of the ordinary was for the man to
be a Negro and a recognized gunman. With his typical arrogance the
rider led his mount down Washington Street.
The horse was a fine-looking tannish
blonde with a bleached colored mane and tail, equally eye-catching.
He was indeed a magnificent beast trotting with the same impressive
impudence his rider exhibited. The pair moved unhurriedly viewing the
endless blue sky in the distance with early summer prairie grass
swaying with the breeze. The scenery was undeniably beautiful.
His ornate saddle was top quality leather
but more noticeable for having the rider’s name inscribed across
the back. There would be no mistaking he was the infamous Gideon
McCoy credited with walking away from twenty-two gunfights leaving
his opponents sprawled dead in the dirt.
Where
can readers learn more information about you?
Thank you so much for visiting today, Marlene. It has indeed been a pleasure to hear from you. I thoroughly enjoyed your interesting answers ~ I too love to laugh, and Earl Grey is my favorite tea. I have a good man! We were married 30 years on May 19. I love the Lord with all of my heart. My life Scripture is Psalm 119:111 ~ Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart. Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
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